Saturday, March 8, 2014

International Women's Day - Inspiring Change

"At the stroke of the midnight hour when the world slept, India awoke to life and freedom" (Adapted from the speech by Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of India's Independence)

15th August 1947, the Indian flag flew for the first time and the people of India rejoiced.

The great leaders of the time, Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore, Jinnah, Maulana Azad are the names that will forever be etched in history.

But what of the ones who worked quietly behind the scenes, the silent and forgotten heroes, the forgotten freedom fighters? Without them India would not have awoken to life and freedom.

My grandmother was one of them. Read her biography here and here for more details.

But I will share the aspects of her life that inspired changes because she dared to dream, because she dared to fight, because she dared to be unafraid, because she had the utmost faith in God and because she had a great generosity of spirit and love for mankind.

At 5 feet tall, gentle and demure, respectful and soft spoken, graceful and loving, kind, compassionate and humble, pious and dharmic (one who follows the path of right action, speech and thought), she looked like a little wisp of a lady who lived a simple life according to the precepts of the Gita (holy book of the Hindus), but she was a formidable power, with a great strength of character and mind, a leader and the ultimate diplomat. She commanded respect wherever she went.

During the Quit India Movement, she took part in freedom marches and spoke at the several rallies held in Bombay. One of the marches that she took part in was the famous Salt Satyagraha Dandi march. In fact she led one of the marches from Bombay to Dandi.

Post Independence she was dragged into politics and became a member of the first Lok Sabha (House of Commons) of India. While in Parliament, she introduced the following bills:

Women's right to divorce

Anti Dowry bill

Indian Adoption of Children Bill

Suppression of immoral trafficking of Women

And she strongly opposed the bill to punish unfaithful wives with her famous speech in Parliament "In a society where we have such evil customs as child marriages permitting a girl of ten or twelve to be married to a man of forty or fifty, old enough to be her grandfather, how can we expect her to be loyal? In a society where girls are at times sold as slaves by her own parents, how can they be expected to be faithful to their husbands?" The bill was withdrawn.

After her term in Parliament was over, she did not contest again and instead dedicated her life to humanitarian services, to the upliftment of the poor and oppressed particularly women and children. For her, service to humanity was service to God.

She was a founder member of the Bhagini Samaj an organisation dedicated to the welfare of women and children and started the Adivasi Welfare Centre in Udvada, Gujarat for women and children providing education and training. She introduced the adoption of villages a UNICEF approved programme and she was the first recipient of the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award for her outstanding services to humanity. She donated her entire award to the the Adivasi Centre.

She was also a Justice of Peace.

But to me she was Dadima (Paternal grandmother), an inspirational, exceptional and beautiful human being who left her family a legacy rich in culture and heritage. Who taught us all, through her life, the meaning of love.

My late father and I were at her side when she breathed her last on the 28th of August 1985. Graceful and respectful even in death, she joined her hands together in Namaste to my dad and me, looked heavenward, and with the words "Hey Ram" (Oh God) she passed over peacefully and quietly to the other side. Be at peace Dadima.

wow! did not know about your dadi.You sure are wearing shoes of metal as you tread upon this path cause I am confident you will also make a difference in this lifetime since she is there to inspire you every step of the way!

jai ho to your grand mom and am glad to get some pixie's of inspiration from you to fwd it around.happy women' s day, suzie!

Dear Suzy,thank you SO much for writing this beautiful herstory about your grandmother for the #womeninspire campaign. I am truly thankful for women like her who have fought around the globe to make the future brighter for women like us!

My favorite takeaway: "because she dared to dream, because she dared to fight, because she dared to be unafraid...."Thank you for telling her story! I'll ensure it is added to the MSW@USC roundup!

that surely was an inspiring story of a woman with golden heart.i am sure you too are.we need more heros like her to change our plight.wishing for change is what we all do.but such women are actually who work towards it.hats off.dxbnidblog

What a wonderful post Suzy. Really a formidable soul your grandmother was. I have read your previous post about her as well. Its amazing that at that age and era there was this woman with high morals and an emancipated mind and heart. Superb!

"In a society where we have such evil customs as child marriages permitting a girl of ten or twelve to be married to a man of forty or fifty, old enough to be her grandfather, how can we expect her to be loyal? In a society where girls are at times sold as slaves by her own parents, how can they be expected to be faithful to their husbands?" How true Suzy! and rightly the Bill was with drawn. Salutes to your Dadima Suzy. May her tribe increase.

The life of your Dadi-Ma is truly an inspiration, Suzy. Sad she is an unsung heroine in a society where we bask in the glory of male leaders. The great lines says it all, "In a society where we have such evil customs as child marriages permitting a girl of ten or twelve to be married to a man of forty or fifty, old enough to be her grandfather, how can we expect her to be loyal? In a society where girls are at times sold as slaves by her own parents, how can they be expected to be faithful to their husbands?"

Reading about your Grandmother made me realize two things...One that she truly was inspirational and second that somewhere I forgot how inspiring my Grandmother has been to me in her own way... Thanks for the share... And Happy belated Women's Day!

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I dream, because dreams make life worth living. I write to share the insights of my soul. I rhyme because poetry brings me great joy. I photograph to capture a moment in time to remember forever.
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